Antony opens up on how he feels about Manchester United after loan exit

Antony opens up on how he feels about Manchester United after loan exit

The summer of 2022 saw Manchester United embark on a long pursuit of the Brazilian winger, which eventually ended with them agreeing to pay Ajax £86.3m for his services.

It was an eye-catching sum for the Brazilian, but he started brightly, scoringon his debut against Arsenal to get the United faithful very excited.

That initial promise did not lead to much though, with his first season being average at best and then going downhill in his second campaign

Antony fell down the pecking order and was no longer really in contention when Erik ten Hag, who had signed him from Ajax, was replaced by Ruben Amorim

‘If they pay that kind of money for you, it’s because you have talent and quality,’ Antony told DAZN.

‘Wherever I go, I’ll always speak highly of United. ‘I’m very grateful to the club and to Erik ten Hag for what we experienced together, for the titles, and for everything I’ve learned.

‘I had difficult times there, but also very good ones. I think it prepared me to be here today, enjoying myself. My mind is here, and I’m very happy.’

Antony enjoyed a blistering start to life with Real Betis scoring three times in his first four games.

The goal-scoring fireworks have fizzled out a bit, but he netted a fourth goal for the club against Vitoria Guimaraes as they booked a spot in the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals.

He has quickly become a regular in the first team, making 11 starts since his January arrival, and he feels very much at home.

‘I found myself, I needed to find myself and be happy,’ said the 25-year-old. ‘I needed my family to be happy too. Every day that goes by I see that it was the best decision I could have made

‘I’m enjoying the city, the club and everything. It reminds me a lot of Brazil because of the sun, the food, the people are also very happy. All of that is important for someone like me who is used to it.’

Red Devils boss Amorim suggested that the winger will enjoy more success outside of the Premier League due to the reduced physicality.

‘When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there. If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot,’ the Portuguese told TNT Sports.

‘Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality.’